Four portraits of Giovanni Vernia making different expressions beneath the illuminated Vernia o non Vernia show title.

Image credit: Teatro Lirico Giorgio Gaber / official promotional image; photographer not stated

Giovanni Vernia’s Vernia o non Vernia was listed at Teatro Lirico Giorgio Gaber in Milan for Thursday 28 May 2026. The advertised programme traced the roots of his comedy through his upbringing, family and former working life, bringing personal storytelling together with parody.

From engineering to comedy

The show’s premise followed a comic impulse that appeared in childhood and became harder to ignore during Vernia’s career as an engineer. Genoa, where he grew up, and relatives from Puglia and Sicily supplied the family background described in the programme.

More than a spoken monologue

The theatre presented a format combining stories, comic impersonation, singing and dancing. Alongside the autobiographical thread, the material was framed as a look at contemporary clichés and everyday assumptions. That mix connected Vernia’s familiar comic characters with the experiences behind them.

The Milan date in context

The venue was Teatro Lirico Giorgio Gaber at Via Larga 14, 20122 Milan. The original listing specified online ticket distribution, separate from the theatre’s own box office. This page records the May programme and location as an archive entry; it does not advertise a new performance of the production.